“Need to Belong”

Midweek Service

February 25, 2026

Matthew 25:34-40

“The ruler will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you blessed of my Abba God! Inherit the kindom prepared for you from the creation of the world! For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me; naked and you clothed me. I was ill and you comforted me; in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then these just will ask, ‘When did we see you hungry and feed you, or see you thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you as a stranger and invite you in, or clothe you in your nakedness? When did we see you ill or in prison and come to visit you?’ The ruler will answer them, ‘The truth is, every time you did this for the least of my sisters or brothers, you did it for me.’

Message:

You all know the comic strip, “Peanuts”—with Charlie Brown and Snoopy, Linus and Lucy. In one episode, Linus sits in front of the television, watching a show. Lucy comes in and says, “I don’t want to watch that program. I want to watch MY program.” So Linus says, “Alright, I’ll go upstairs and listen to the radio.”

But Lucy follows him. As Linus sits down by the radio, Lucy growls, “I don’t want to listen to that program. I want to listen to MY program.” Linus sighs and says, “Fine, I’ll go to the next room and play some records.”

Lucy follows right behind and yells, “I don’t want to listen to those records. I want to listen to MY records.” Exasperated, Linus turns toward the door and announces, “OK, I’ll go outside and look at the stars for a while.” Again, Lucy follows and begins to shout, “I don’t want to look at those stars. I want to look at MY…” She stops, glares at Linus, sighs and walks away.

Theologian Fritz Wendt uses this conversation to show the two different kinds of faith exemplified in today’s Gospel text. Lucy’s faith is small. It’s an either/or kind of faith. A good-or-bad kind of faith. A mine-or-yours kind of faith. It’s a faith that sees the world in black and white. No middle ground. No grace. Which also means no messiness.

And while we’d really like to read this passage with small faith, we can’t. We can’t make it about the good people who care for others and the bad people who don’t. Because we all fall in the middle. Sometimes we care. Sometimes we stop. Sometimes we listen. And sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we share what we have, and sometimes we hoard. And if we hang our hats of eternal life on the good that we do, we are all in trouble.

No, this passage isn’t about separating the good people from the bad. It’s about teaching us how to recognize Christ and what comes next when we do.

Our handout for worship today points us toward wholeness as we read this passage. The reality is that need is a communal experience. Nobody is without need. That’s not the same as being without want. Even those with money to buy anything they want still experience need. It may look very different than someone who lives on the street or in a refugee camp. But there is need. Why else would they try to fill the need with stuff?

And need is where we meet Jesus—in our own and in the needs of another. And here’s the trippy thing about this all. The eternal life and salvation and kindom of God isn’t some other-worldly realm we go to when we die. It is the very real experience of recognizing and embracing the interconnectedness we have with the rest of creation.

Think of it like a triangle built off of the Greatest Commandment. What does Jesus’ first and second commandment say? “Love God…Love your neighbor…As yourself.” Personally, the hardest one is loving yourself. How do we do that? (good food, exercise, sleep, rest, grace, healthy relationships, boundaries).

If that is how we love ourselves, and we are to love our neighbor in the same way, what does that look like? (advocacy, assistance, changing the system).

And when we love ourselves and we love our neighbor, do you know what we’re doing? We’re loving God! A constant energy that goes between the three, just like the Trinity. This is the expansive faith of Linus—who can take in the stars and the vastness of space rather than continue a pointless argument with his bully big sister.

So, we care for the lost and least, not because we hope it will be enough to buy our ticket to a better place, but because God loves us; because God loves our neighbor; and because we love God. It’s that simple. It’s that hard. Welcome to the Good News.

Pastor Tobi White

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

Lincoln, NE